Whoever comes to Jeddah to visit a Friend and then he decides to perform 'Umrah, from where does he assume Ihram?
Question :
I traveled to Jeddah to visit some friends there and after a day of staying there, I decided to perform 'Umrah. So, I assumed Ihram in Jeddah and I headed to Makkah Al- Mukarramah and performed Umrah. Then, some of my friends said: "Verily, you must sacrifice an animal, for it is obligatory on you to assume Ihram from the Valley of Mahram (the Miqat for those coming from Najd) or on the plane when you reach the Miqat." I hope for a beneficial answer for myself and may Allâh give you success.
Answer:
If you were intending to make 'Umrah while you were in Ar-Riyadh, then you are required to assume Ihram from the Miqat or when you reach its distance in the airplane. If you did not do so and you assumed Ihram from Jeddah, you must slaughter an animal to compensate for this. However, if you were not thinking about performing 'Umrah during your travel, and the only reason that caused you to travel was to visit your friend, and you only decided to perform 'Umrah after you reached Jeddah, then you started the 'Umrah from there, where you first started thinking to perform it, then there is no sacrifice of an animal due on you. Your Miqat is from the place where you decided to perform 'Umrah, which was Jeddah, as you mentioned. And Allâh knows best.
Source:
Ash-Shaykh Ibn Jibreen
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 4 Pages 280-281